Salem Street Burying Ground is a cemetery located at the intersection of Salem Street and Riverside Avenue in Medford, Massachusetts . The Salem Street Burying Ground was used exclusively from the late 17th century to the late 19th century for the burial of the town's wealthy. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.
36-494: The Salem Street Burying Ground was originally the private cemetery of the Wade family. It was acquired by the town of Medford in May 1717. The earliest stone is dated 1683 and the latest 1881. Records indicate that there are six hundred people buried there, but there are only 485 markers. There are several known reasons for this discrepancy. During the 17th century, one gravestone often marked
72-411: A certain shape or position to facilitate grass-cutting. Headstones of granite , marble and other kinds of stone are usually created, installed, and repaired by monumental masons . Cemeteries require regular inspection and maintenance, as stones may settle, topple and, on rare occasions, fall and injure people; or graves may simply become overgrown and their markers lost or vandalised . Restoration
108-414: A community. Some gravestones were even commissioned and erected to their own memory by people who were still living, as a testament to their wealth and status. In a Christian context , the very wealthy often erected elaborate memorials within churches rather than having simply external gravestones. Crematoria frequently offer similar alternatives to families who do not have a grave to mark, but who want
144-445: A discreet reference code as well to help accurately fix the location for maintenance. The cemetery owner, church, or, as in the UK , national guidelines might encourage the use of 'tasteful' and accurate wording in inscriptions. The placement of inscriptions is traditionally placed on the forward-facing side of the memorial but can also be seen in some cases on the reverse and around the edges of
180-460: A focus for their mourning and for remembrance . Carved or cast commemorative plaques inside the crematorium for example may serve this purpose. A cemetery may follow national codes of practice or independently prescribe the size and use of certain materials, especially in a conservation area. Some may limit the placing of a wooden memorial to six months after burial, after which a more permanent memorial must be placed. Others may require stones of
216-402: A gravestone was the stone slab (or ledger stone ) that was laid flat over a grave . Now, all three terms ("stele", "tombstone" or "gravestone") are also used for markers set (usually upright) at the head of the grave. Some graves in the 18th century also contained footstones to demarcate the foot end of the grave. This sometimes developed into full kerb sets that marked the whole perimeter of
252-492: A headstone may settle or its fixings weaken. After several instances where unstable stones have fallen in dangerous circumstances, some burial authorities "topple test" headstones by firm pressure to check for stability. They may then tape them off or flatten them. This procedure has proved controversial in the UK, where an authority's duty of care to protect visitors is complicated because it often does not have any ownership rights over
288-414: A number of members of the same family. In the 19th century, headstone styles became very diverse, ranging from plain to highly decorated, and often using crosses on a base or other shapes differing from the traditional slab. By this time popular designs were shifting from symbols of death like Winged heads and Skulls to Urns and Willow trees. Marble also became overwhelmingly popular as a grave material during
324-613: A stone. In addition, before laying a stone flat, it must be recorded for posterity. Gravestone cleaning is a practice that both professionals and volunteers can do to preserve gravestones and increase their life spans. Before cleaning any gravestones, permission must be given to the cleaner by a "descendant, the sexton , cemetery superintendent or the town, in that order. If unsure who to ask, go to your town cemetery keeper and inquire." A gravestone can be cleaned to remove human vandalism and graffiti, biological growth such as algae or lichen , and other minerals, soiling, or staining. One of
360-529: Is a specialized job for a monumental mason . Even overgrowth removal requires care to avoid damaging the carving. For example, ivy should only be cut at the base roots and left to naturally die off, never pulled off forcefully. Many materials have been used as markers. Markers sometimes bear inscriptions . The information on the headstone generally includes the name of the deceased and their date of birth and death. Such information can be useful to genealogists and local historians . Larger cemeteries may require
396-520: Is illegible after about a hundred years... For those of you who seek a degree of immortality , a slate headstone, or as a second choice, one carved from an Irish limestone, should ensure that your name will remain on view for several centuries to come! The choice of language and/or script on gravestones has been studied by sociolinguists as indicators of language choices and language loyalty. For example, by studying cemeteries used by immigrant communities, some languages were found to be carved "long after
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#1732876340005432-555: Is marked by a large obelisk located in the approximate center of the Burying Ground, and Sarah Bradlee Fulton , a Revolutionary War heroine whose grave is marked by a rock to the left of the Brooks monument. The details of 35 graves have been documented. Starting from the Burying Ground's northwest corner and working eastward, the graves were selected for documentation in alternating groups of five (five were chosen and their data recorded,
468-416: Is traditional for Chinese , Jewish , Christian , and Islamic burials , as well as other traditions. In East Asia, the tomb's spirit tablet is the focus for ancestral veneration and may be removable for greater protection between rituals. Ancient grave markers typically incorporated funerary art , especially details in stone relief . With greater literacy, more markers began to include inscriptions of
504-495: The Taoist mystic Guo Pu . The work was a commentary on the now-lost Classic of Burial ( t 葬 經 , s 葬 经 ); as it survived and transmitted the classic's teachings, the Book of Burial' s principles relating the flow of qi to the appropriateness of a tomb's location were influential on the development of fengshui . This article related to the history of China
540-453: The acrostic message "KFC tortures birds". The group placed its grave marker to promote its contention that KFC is cruel to chickens. Gravestones may be simple upright slabs with semi-circular, rounded, gabled, pointed-arched, pedimental, square or other shaped tops. During the 18th century, they were often decorated with memento mori (symbolic reminders of death ) such as skulls or winged skulls, winged cherub heads, heavenly crowns, or
576-449: The female dead often omit a first name (for example, "Here lyes buried the wife John Chalcedony, Mrs. Chalcedony"). By far the most prevalent image on the tombstones is the winged skull motif, which represents an ascension into Heaven . Among other symbols engraved on the stones are the willow tree , representing sadness or mourning ; the hourglass , representing the passage of time; and bones, representing death or decay . For
612-731: The 1800s in the United States. More elaborately carved markers, such as crosses or angels also became popular during this time. Simple curb surrounds, sometimes filled with glass chippings, were popular during the mid-20th century. Islamic headstones are traditionally more a rectangular upright shaft, often topped with a carved topknot symbolic of a turban ; but in Western countries more local styles are often used. Some form of simple decoration may be employed. Special emblems on tombstones indicate several familiar themes in many faiths. Some examples are: Greek letters might also be used: Over time
648-541: The Tufts, Bradshaw, Willis, Wade, Brooks, Francis, and Whitmore families became the founders of the town of Medford. The largest farm in the area was owned by Jonathan Wade. When Wade died in 1689, he left the estate to his son, Dudley. It included "that little pasture called the burying place". By 1717, the Wade family plot had become the town burying ground. Among several notable figures buried there are Massachusetts Governor and Revolutionary War figure John Brooks , whose grave
684-602: The United States alone, pre-purchased headstones with pre-carved death years beginning with 19–. Bas-relief carvings of a religious nature or of a profile of the deceased can be seen on some headstones, especially up to the 19th century. Since the invention of photography, a gravestone might include a framed photograph or cameo of the deceased; photographic images or artwork (showing the loved one, or some other image relevant to their life, interests or achievements) are sometimes now engraved onto smooth stone surfaces. Some headstones use lettering made of white metal fixed into
720-422: The blink of an eye. We captured the whole world through our courage and strength, Yet could take nothing with us to our grave." Or a simpler warning of inevitability of death: Remember me as you pass by, As you are now, so once was I, As I am now, so you will be, Prepare for death and follow me. Headstone engravers faced their own " year 2000 problem " when still-living people, as many as 500,000 in
756-709: The burial place of several members of the same family. The final resting place of no less than four members of the Wade family is marked by a single large, brown, slate block; among the largest in the burial ground. Similarly, near the Riverside Avenue entrance of the cemetery, a flagpole and granite stone marker (pictured) commemorate the graves of several unknown Revolutionary war soldiers buried there. The marker's text reads, "In Memory of New Hampshire Soldiers who Fell at Bunker Hill Buried in this Town and Interred at this Spot." Records also indicated that there are more than fifty enslaved people buried in unmarked graves in
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#1732876340005792-428: The dangerous marker. Authorities that have knocked over stones during testing or have unilaterally lifted and laid flat any potentially hazardous stones have been criticised, after grieving relatives have discovered that their relative's marker has been moved. Since 2007 Consistory Court and local authority guidance now restricts the force used in a topple test and requires an authority to consult relatives before moving
828-403: The deceased's name, date of birth, and date of death, often along with a personal message or prayer . The presence of a frame for photographs of the deceased is also increasingly common. The stele (plural: stelae ), as it is called in an archaeological context, is one of the oldest forms of funerary art . Originally, a tombstone was the stone lid of a stone coffin , or the coffin itself, and
864-461: The different types of stone available: The use of slate for this plaque was a good choice as it weathers very slowly and the quality of the carved lettering remains good for many years. Many (Irish) gravestones from the mid 1700s and 1800s are made of slate. This is fortunate for those interested in tracing genealogies , as many of the inscriptions can still be read after two hundred years. This contrasts sharply with lettering cut into granite, which
900-539: The dust enclosèd here. Blest be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones. Or a warning about mortality , such as this Persian poetry carved on an ancient tombstone in the Tajiki capital of Dushanbe . I heard that mighty Jamshed the King Carved on a stone near a spring of water these words: "Many – like us – sat here by this spring And left this life in
936-539: The grave. Footstones were rarely annotated with more than the deceased's initials and year of death, and sometimes a memorial mason and plot reference number. Many cemeteries and churchyards have removed those extra stones to ease grass cutting by machine mower. In some UK cemeteries, the principal, and indeed only, marker is placed at the foot of the grave. Owing to soil movement and downhill creep on gentle slopes, older headstones and footstones can often be found tilted at an angle. Over time, this movement can result in
972-543: The language ceased to be spoken" in the communities. In other cases, a language used in the inscription may indicate a religious affiliation. Marker inscriptions have also been used for political purposes, such as the grave marker installed in January 2008 at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky by Mathew Prescott, an employee of PETA . The grave marker is located near the grave of KFC founder Harland Sanders and bears
1008-428: The markers are made from slate . In 2019, a memorial for the unnamed enslaved people buried in the cemetery was dedicated. Headstone A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone , that is placed over a grave . A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone . An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele , stela , or slab . The use of such markers
1044-463: The most important tenets of gravestone cleaning is "do no harm." In the United States, the National Park Service has published a list of guidelines that outline the best practices of gravestone cleaning: Do Don't Chinese burial The Book of Burial ( Chinese : t 葬 書 , s 葬 书 , p Zàngshū ) was a 4th or 5th-century AD work by
1080-455: The most part the markers are headstones, but there are also three obelisks , two table tombs, one double stone, and three large slabs. There is also a large, tall block of what appears to be granite in the most southerly corner of the cemetery that has no markings of any kind, and it is unclear whether this is a memorial of or just surplus stone. There is no mention of it in any of the records consulted. Aside from that granite block, most of
1116-423: The next five were skipped, the following five chosen, and so on). The information collected included first and last names, ages, birth dates (when available), death dates and gravestone iconography. Also included were any pertinent titles (Deacon, Captain, Major, etc.). Many of the markers fail to provide any specific birth date , noting instead the age of the deceased in years, months, and days. The tombstones of
Salem Street Burying Ground - Misplaced Pages Continue
1152-418: The picks and shovels of the gravedigger . Somewhat unusual were more elaborate allegorical figures , such as Old Father Time , or emblems of trade or status , or even some event from the life of the deceased (particularly how they died). Large tomb chests, false sarcophagi as the actual remains were in the earth below, or smaller coped chests were commonly used by the gentry as a means of commemorating
1188-504: The southwest corner of the cemetery. The cemetery and the area surrounding it were settled as a plantation owned by the absent Matthew Craddock , the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony , in 1630. The land was used as a private farm and plantation for forty-five years. From 1660 to 1675, the second owner of the land, Edward Collins, broke the land up into smaller tracts which were sold individually. The purchasers,
1224-519: The stone itself. Some families request that an inscription be made on the portion of the memorial that will be underground. In addition, some gravestones also bear epitaphs in praise of the deceased or quotations from religious texts, such as " requiescat in pace ". In a few instances the inscription is in the form of a plea, admonishment, testament of faith, claim to fame or even a curse – William Shakespeare 's inscription famously declares Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear, To dig
1260-475: The stone, which is easy to read but can be damaged by ivy or frost. Deep carvings on a hard-wearing stone may weather many centuries exposed in graveyards and still remain legible. Those fixed on the inside of churches , on the walls , or on the floor (often as near the altar as possible) may last much longer: such memorials were often embellished with a monumental brass . Irish geologist Patrick Wyse Jackson mused on gravestone legibility in 1993 with regards to
1296-428: The stones being sited several metres away from their original location. Graves and any related memorials are a focus for mourning and remembrance. The names of relatives are often added to a gravestone over the years, so that one marker may chronicle the passing of an entire family spread over decades. Since gravestones and a plot in a cemetery or churchyard cost money, they are also a symbol of wealth or prominence in
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